Amy's Blog....: January 2014

"On the night you were born the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked down to see you and the night wind whispered…life will never be the same."

And well, life certainly hasn't been the same since the night you came to the world. It's been better, harder, sweeter, funnier, scarier, and so much more. I am in love with Nancy Tillman books, and that has been our favorite one this year. I got you "I'd Know You Anywhere, My Love" for your birthday.

I never typed the story of Brooks and his great entrance into the world. I worked on this a couple of week ago and I am glad I have finally written it down:

I can't believe it's December again, I feel like it was just last December and I was enjoying all the fun of being 9 months pregnant. Being pregnant and about to have a baby in December is so special. It makes you think about Mary, Joseph, the donkey and baby Jesus…and the stable in a whole new way.

I never typed Brooks' birth story and I know with each year parts will become more faded in my mind so I wanted to write it all down. I think right after he was born I was just too tired and focused on my sweet little bundle to do any documenting about anything other than him.

How it started:

I had consistently measured a week or two ahead of schedule, but at my 36 week appointment I went in for my first official progress check and I was measuring 39 weeks and dilated to a 2. The jump to 3 weeks ahead was a bit of a shock and this kick started me into a panic of thinking I was going to have a baby before Christmas. I think I drove straight to work and started cleaning off my work area and prepping my detailed notes for each of my kids at work. My friend Julie said "that's how it was with me and then I took forever to go into labor" and that's pretty much what happened with me. Every week after that appointment I measured close to 40 weeks but I stopped progressing. My doctor was a little concerned with his size and gave me the option of being induced at 39 1/2 weeks which landed on New Year's Eve. At 9 months pregnant when they give you an option to get the show on the road..you take it! (well, I do anyway)

Night Before:

We had to check in on Sunday night at midnight to be induced that Monday morning. My sister-in-law Elizabeth and my mom offered to make me dinner that Sunday night of any thing I wanted! We had breakfast for dinner and I even managed to eat some of it, looking back I have no idea how I did that. I can't eat when I'm nervous, but I stayed relatively calm. I remember that evening well and I was wearing Bryan's red long sleeve thermal that he had given me because "it was too big for him" and my stretchy maternity jeans. Everything just felt tight and I was ready to have my little bundle in my arms not in my stomach any more!

Hospital:

We came home from my mom's and took our time getting our stuff together and showering/make-uping/hair fixing before we drove to the hospital at midnight. It was REALLY cold and Bryan dropped me off at the door of the ER because that's the only door you can enter at midnight. The guy at the ER desk said "we do NOT like pregnant people in the ER, let's get you up to labor and delivery" and he made me sit in a wheel chair and he wheeled me at approximately 100MPH to the labor and delivery floor. I was feeling big anyway and the foot rest on the chair kept dragging the ground and scraping, not to mention it was a pretty ragged looking wheel chair and I felt like I might smash it to the ground. I also felt a little like Violet from Willy Wonka being rolled to the juicer or something. I kept kind of laughing because he was running me through the halls of Washington Regional like I was on fire. Bryan had a hard time keeping up with us and he's a really fast walker, if that sets the scene for anyone who knows us.

We checked in and a nurse got me set up in bed and hooked up to monitors and IV. My IV was really uncomfortable but it eventually either stopped hurting or I was distracted by the contractions that were really rolling with the pitocin they started around 5:00AM. The nurse did tell me that I went the longest of any one she'd ever seen before calling her to get up and use the restroom. The truth was I had to go forever, but felt like it was such an ordeal to get unhooked to go, in hindsight, it's their job to help you so I should have just called her sooner.

Monday morning my doctor came to check me and talk to me about the plan that day. We had a nurse switch and Regina my soon to be nurse BFF came on duty. Bryan prayed for us before the day started and I had good cry, and then I put on my game face. The guy came to do my epidural and was wonderful and wanted to chit chat about Jonesboro and the 501, he and Bryan talked and I gave one word answers. I wasn't in the mood for chatting, but I appreciate he tried to keep things light. It was also really rainy and cold on that Monday and I remember looking out the window thinking how surreal it all was. They kept upping my meds and by lunch time I was to a 5. I am so thankful that I was comfortable and we had such sweet people to take care of Brooks and I. I kept telling myself we'd have a baby before dinner…but I think some how I knew the whole time that it wasn't going down like. Brooks was always very high and all day he kept kicking my ribs and I felt like that was where he wanted to stay.

Around lunch I treated myself to a red popsicle and that was a mistake. My doctor said she really wanted to deliver Brooks so they upped meds as much as they could with no change and I got a little sick to my stomach. She checked me one last time before she left for the day and passed me to the next doctor on call. Around dinner the new doctor checked me again and called my doctor who said we could keep trying but could possibly still be in the same spot hours from then. At this point I was ready to just have baby boy out and safe, so we opted for a c-section after 12 hours with no more progress.

Arrival:

They prepped me for a c-section and off we went. I got sick to my stomach again on the ride over and the sweet nurse I had all day literally used her bare hands to catch throw up. If I ever see her again, I will hug her. Everyone we had was so great and my sweet and my wonderful doctor came back to the hospital to help deliver Brooks. I didn't process for a couple of months that she came back on New Year's Eve to deliver him, which is so kind. I was glad to see her familiar face and Brooks came into the world at 6:54PM (or 6:45 if you ask Bryan…there is debate) and weighed 8 lbs, 3 oz and was 20.5"long. Doctor Hardman said "hey buddy, you are a big boy!" when we was born and I looked over at him and saw the head full of dark hair, which I wasn't expecting, and I loved.

After a little recovering I got to snuggle my new baby boy and look him over. It's fortunate and unfortunate all the meds you have with a c-section because it was all a little foggy until the next morning, but we took pictures and the grandparents held him. I am sure it was late and my mom stayed with Brooks and I that night. The next morning Bryan came back early and I had some of the most delicious food I felt like I had ever tasted, it had been awhile since dinner on Sunday evening and then we had a day of visitors and getting to know each other. I still can't get over how undeserving we are of such a beautiful and sweet baby boy.

Tuesday night I asked Susan to stay with me at the hospital and she literally sat up all night long either watching Brooks or holding him. It was a rougher night for us both, but the sun came up the next morning and we had another wonderful day to love our sweet baby.

Home:

We stayed Monday night and Tuesday night and came home on Wednesday. We got little guy dressed in an outfit give to us by his Uncle Chad and Aunt Elizabeth and he wore a hat and booties that Susu and Pa got him. Dressing him seemed so hard because he was so tiny and I was just so sure I might hurt him. Bryan drove us home and we walked in the door and had no idea what to do with him. Bryan sat his car seat down in the entry way while we sat all of our stuff down (it was like moving) and I began my career as momma. We took him into the living room and held him and then put him in the nap nanny and watched him and then held him some more. I was a nervous wreck for weeks and had a whole new compassion to other new momma's out there.